Raid on Severomorsk
NATO |side2 = Soviet Union |goal1 = |goal2 = |commanders1 = Jeremiah Sawyer Johannesen |commanders2 = Unknown Soviet commander(s) |forces1 = Task Force Raven |forces2 = Soviet Army Soviet Navy |casualties1 =Moderate |casualties2 =Moderate Several ''Typhoon''-class submarines destroyed |notes = }} The Raid on Severomorsk was a major battle that occurred in 1989 during the outbreak of World War III. It was a NATO operation aimed at neutralizing the Soviet Union's ability to strike the mainland United States using Typhoon-class submarines. It is notable for being one of the few battles of the war fought on Soviet soil. Prelude The Raid on Severomorsk was the second phase of a covert operation conducted by NATO against the Soviet Union following the loss of an American spy plane over Soviet soil during the campaign in Western Europe. The Americans had been conducting regular reconnaissance missions deep inside Soviet territory in order to determine their battlefield capabilities in Eastern Europe when one of these flights, a prototype B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, was shot down by Soviet anti-aircraft defenses and crash-landed near the Finnish-Russian border. The intelligence the plane carried over was deemed crucial to the war effort, prompting a NATO strike force to conduct a covert operation to recover the intelligence from the plane. Although they were met with a swift and deadly response from Soviet forces, NATO was successful in recovering the intel and demolishing the plane itself, as well as rescuing the pilots and quickly retreated from the area. After an extensive analysis, it was discovered from the data that the Soviets were planning a major attack against the American East Coast. At the nearby naval yard at Severomorsk, outside of the city of Murmansk on the Kola Peninsula, the Soviet Northern Fleet was assembling a large fleet of Typhoon-class submarines to attack America's naval yards. The purpose of this strike was to disable America's naval capabilities and cut off supply lines to Western Europe. The U.S. called for an immediate strike against Severomorsk in an attempt to disable the Soviet submarine fleet. Submarine base After reorganizing itself, the NATO strike force attacked the Soviet naval yard at Severomorsk, led by Colonel Jeremiah Sawyer, who had previously participated in the defense of France. Secondary commanders included Captain Mark Bannon and Lieutenant Parker. Upon arriving at Severomorsk, the NATO strike force divided itself into individual companies, and launched individual attacks on Soviet defensive positions. While NATO forces engaged the Soviets, Lieutenant Parker led his company towards the nearest docked submarine, intending to secure the perimeter in order to allow NATO engineers to arrive and destroy the submarine. Meanwhile, Captain Bannon did the same thing with his force and approached the second submarine in a drydock, but was stalled by a the Soviet security force. As the NATO forces engaged the Soviets, Allied air forces flew regular sorties against the Soviet naval yard in order to weaken their infrastructure and defensive capabilities. Parker was eventually successful in securing the submarine and established a defensive perimeter, clearing an insertion zone for NATO engineers. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Captain Bannon, who was halted by the second submarine's security force. Due to his failure to break through their lines, the second submarine successfully escaped the drydock, angering Colonel Sawyer. Lieutenant Parker was then ordered to capture the third enemy submarine in another drydock whilst lending a portion of his forces to hit a Soviet helicopter base in the hills nearby. The strike was successful and the helicopter site was destroyed, severely impairing the enemy's ability to deploy reinforcements. Parker's main force broke through the enemy defenses and eventually overran the dockyard, allowing him to secure the enemy submarine and set up a defensive perimeter. With the submarines secured, NATO engineers arrived to raid the submarines of all relevant intelligence and then destroy them in the harbor. Unfortunately, the Soviets had discovered this, and then launched a massive counterattack in response, trapping the NATO strike force within the harbor. Sawyer strengthened his defensive lines, while Lieutenant Parker fought a successfully holding action around the second submarine. During the defense, Sawyer reinforced Parker's unit and NATO strike craft neutralized the enemy artillery in the hills, relieving the NATO strike force of additional pressure. Aftermath Although heavily outnumbered, the NATO units were successful in destroying most of the submarines and naval infrastructures in the area. The battle left the Soviet submarine fleet severely crippled, and the submarines that did reach the U.S. East Coast were repelled. The battle also left several pieces of naval facilities in ruins, effectively impairing the Soviet Northern Fleet. See also *Beyond the Iron Curtain *Lair of the Bear Category:Battles